JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a prevalent condition affecting a substantial portion of the global population, with its prevalence increasing over the past two decades. OSAHS is characterized by recurrent upper airway (UA) closure during sleep, leading to significant impacts on quality of life and heightened cardiovascular and metabolic morbidity. Despite Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) being the gold standard treatment, patient adherence remains suboptimal due to various factors such as discomfort, side effects, and treatment unacceptability.

Objective:

Considering the challenges associated with CPAP adherence, an alternative approach targeting upper airway muscles through myofunctional therapy was explored. This non-invasive intervention involves lip and/or tongue exercises to improve oropharyngeal functions and mitigate the severity of OSAHS. The primary objective of this study was to develop a portable device for home-based myofunctional therapy with continuous monitoring of exercise performance and adherence.

Methods:

A portable device was designed to facilitate tongue and lips myofunctional therapy and enable precise monitoring of exercise performance and adherence. A clinical study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of this program in improving sleep-disordered breathing. Participants were instructed to perform tongue protrusion, lips pressure, and controlled breathing in various tasks six times a week for four weeks, with each session lasting approximately 35 minutes.

Results:

Although the reduction in apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was not statistically significant, a noteworthy correlation between successful lips exercise improvement and AHI reduction in a supine position was observed (R_s= -0.76; P = .028). Furthermore, the study demonstrated a commendable overall compliance rate of 92.25% among the participants, highlighting the feasibility and acceptability of the home-based myofunctional therapy program using the portable device. These findings demonstrate the potential of the device for accurately monitoring participants' performance in lips and tongue pressure exercises during myofunctional therapy.

Conclusions:

The study's portable device for home-based myofunctional therapy shows promise as a non-invasive alternative for reducing the severity of obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome, with a notable correlation between successful lips exercise improvement and apnea-hypopnea index reduction, warranting further development and investigation.